Teachers - No bloody flexibility!! What other job can I do?

[ziopin]

Hi, Sorry to rant! I'm a teacher, and I know that people think we get an easy ride, but it's bloody hard work!

There is no flexibility in this job. Okay, okay we do get the holidays, but we cant have any flexibility about what time we arrive/leave school.

I'm a working Mum - my dd starts school full time come September - I'd love to be able to take her to school or pick her up every now and again.

Am thinking about packing it in, but what other job can I do?

IThat's true NKF. But the inflexibility bit clinhed it for me - hence the move to a job whee I now have both the flexibility AND the holidays

And it's only for a limited number of years. Secondary school children don't want their parents walking them to and from school.

I can see that Hulababy - but it sounds as if you went part time too. And that makes a big difference.

I was PT as a teacher as well, prior to leaving teaching. I went PT, 3 days a week, when DD was born. Left teaching when DD was almost 3yo, for various reasons - but the school thing was a deciding factor in there.

very decent holidays, during which you have to pay three times what everyone else pays because you have to go on holiday duting term time, no flexibility.

out of term time I mean DOH

But non teaching parents end up paying three times the price becasue after a while, it becomes a no no to take their children out of school. So they peay extra and have only five weeks holiday a year.

Ti be fair I don't think the OP was trying to claim teachers get a raw deal, etc. Just that she is finding that teaching is not a flexible as she would have hoped to be in, and is simply asking for suggestions as to alternatives she might be able to consider.

Of course Hulababy and it sounds as if nobody can think of anything that ticks all the boxes.

My job does LOL!

That said, the people I know who have most flexibility, most of them work for themselves.

That's true NKF. But of course they have other problems to counterbalance that - no job security, no pensions, no sick pay etc.

True UD. I suppose vast inherited wealth is the only really inflexible way to earn money. It's all my grandparents' fault.

Flexible way. And it's not even late.

OK zipin I was thinking about this more this evening.

I think Hula has a great job which she loves and ticks all her boxes.

But TBH that's pretty unusual. Most of the parents I can think of who pick up/drop off either don't work, or work part time, or work shifts (eg early morning lorry driver, on nights in factory).
That includes me and DH btw - we both work 4 days/week. We have been able to arrange flexibility eg I start early some days and then finish early. Of course I can see that would be impossible for a primary teacher. But it's not that easy in lots of jobs. Maybe a position working for a local council might work?

Virtually all the parents I can think of who work full time (as teachers, in industry, in journalism, in sales) hardly ever pick up or drop off.

Have not read whole thread but

There should be flexible working arrangements for parents with children under 6.

Can you do a jobshare?My Dad has recently retired as a secondary head and he was saying how inflexible my job seemed in comparison to teaching.He had a lot of mums on his staff who jobshared.OK so you may not be able to drop off/pick up your child every day but at least some days?

What about supply teaching?Then you could decide your own hours to some extent.

Private tuition?

I seem to remember when we were young my dad did exam marking to supplement his pay.Not sure how much you earn,though.Or how you get to do it...

Not being much help,really.Sorry.

have to say my head is pretty flexible when I've wanted time off to do something school related for dd - I"ve been able to swap days, or go in later - it really hasn't been a problem.

Pick a school with wrap around care or find a fab child minder. Choose which events you want to attend; there won't be hundreds.. the main ones are probably harvest and xmas ans sports day. Talk to your head about taking the time to get there. It can be done with flexibility on both sides. Then sit back and enjoy the holidays.
I think you are being naieve in dismissing teaching as too incompatible with having a child at school, based on attedning school functions. Most schools now bend over backwards to accomodate working parents.
You can use ppa time to duck and dive a bit surely?
Teaching is fab for the part time permutations. Explore them thoroughly and remember that your needs will change as dd gets older. Whilst dropping off may be important now, holiday cover will be more important later etc

Most parents who work full time don't pick up and drop off. At first we had a nanny as three under 5s so she did it once the oldest was at school. Then later we had the oldest at a school on a school coach ride away into Herts when she was 5 so the coach left at 7.45am and I would put her on that and then get my train into Central London and our son went to the school his father taught in so they went together and the nanny collected. Then later we had various people we found to do pick ups.

I just don't get this collection thing - why would any parent want to do that day in day out - it's very very dull. Often yo're stuck in traffic if the school is any distance away. you get to talk to the dullest of the mothers (the ones without any interesting work whose lives are washing powder etc or the nannies/au pairs and your child is at their most tired after school and you get home and deal with stuff like food and homework. I love doing it once a week or occasionally but I have never in 22 years seen the attraction of it as a daily exercise. You're lucky if you can avoid it with a work excuse!

Certainly agree with Xenia about school runs and being stuck in traffic. Too much traffic on the road anyway and there's nothing I hate more than being stuck in it.
So we have always made sure we lived walking distance from primary school, and my younger 2 walk home on their own, while the eldest comes home on the school bus, or if she misses it, walks 2 and a half miles.

I like to be home when they arrive and home first thing in the morning when they go.

Occasionally I do go with them to school (or collect) if I want to speak to another parent or some one at school. I don't find SAHMs universally boring or WOHMs universally fascinating as Xenia seems to, and many parents work p/t so don't fall into either camp.

Your options are:

• give up your job
• go part time
• get a nanny to do pick-ups and drop-offs

There are 4th and 5th options

Go to a school with breakfast/after school clubs

Use a childminder

I have this dilemma. DH, my DM and PIL forbid the use of childminders or nannies.

So I am only considering schools with breakfast/afterschool clubs. The school which I wanted the twins to attend does not have these facilities and I am unable to persuade my family that it is possible to find a childminder that won't turn out to be a sadistic child beater

speedymama - I can understand that your DH can have strong views on childminders that you need to take into account, but your DM and PILs? What business is it of theirs?

I would also say supply, but also you coild look at adult education perhaps- more flexible hours at some institutions

Whether teaching is flexible depends on your perspective. Yes you do get holidays but they're set, so that limits other things- you can't for example book a week off in February to whisk Dh off to Rome (purely an example not suggesting thats a huge loos LOL), there is also the plays etc aspect- and in most jobs I ahe had if I need a few housrs off I've been able to negotiate it around working late or whatever. Once I qualify as a teacher, I dont expect to be able to do that. Its swingsa nd roundabouts really. There's also things like insets- if your kids go to a different school with different nsets that could be a pain.

Its probably eeasier than most jobs with older kids, but a challenge with younger ones- especiallya s pre-school having the summer may not be important anyway, you may rather get way in june when its cheaper.

Certainly, because we're in a state of flux (will ds3 go to sn school etc etc etc) it looks like I'll be doing a flexible PGCE as PGCE / school hours oculdn't cope very well otherwise, I ahve had jobs though where it could have been worked in.

(Once I qualify dh is going to Uni LOL so it's his problem then )